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Need a light? There are 35 too many at Weston Rd. and Dennis Ave.

A $250,000 public art project meant to resemble an “illuminated grove” turns out to be more puzzling than enlightening.

Ten utility poles were recently put up within a small space at the corner of Weston Rd. and Dennis Ave., with a staggering total of 36 street lights attached to them. Talk about a bright idea. (JACK LAKEY / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

How many dimwits does it take to screw in 36 street lights, where only one is used anywhere else?

Don’t ask Toronto Hydro. They are in the dark about the staggering number of lights recently installed at the corner of Weston Rd. and Dennis Ave.

We’ve come across things on our rounds that are hard to explain: An abandoned truck loaded with full-sized glass heads; a utility pole planted in right field at a ball diamond; a dead raccoon frozen into a knothole in a tree, its head poking out over the sidewalk below.

But 36 lights attached to a bunch of poles in a confined space is as weird as anything we’ve seen, and a curious example of public dollars at work.

Talk about your bright ideas…

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Even Toronto Hydro, which is responsible for street lighting and poles, couldn’t explain it. After investigating Tuesday, it could only say it is definitely not their project.

It’s a “cultural” thing, said spokesperson Tanya Bruckmueller-Wilson, adding there was no collaboration with hydro on it, and that the lights have yet to be powered up.

A reader posted a photo of them on SeeClickFix, along with a note that said, “can’t even begin to think what the logic was behind this. Can you say waste of resources?”

We went there and counted 10 utility poles crowded into a small space on the northwest corner, bristling with a total of 36 lights mounted at various angles and heights.

It struck us as beyond odd, and we aren’t alone.

We asked a school crossing guard at the corner if he knew anything about it. No sir, he said, adding that everyone is asking the same thing.

Nobody knows why they were put up, said a woman at the Isilda Natural Path Wellness Spa, right next to the lights, adding they were installed a couple of weeks ago.

STATUS: After Hydro washed its hands of it, we asked around at the city and got the following reply: “The internationally acclaimed Toronto art duo of Christian Giroux and Daniel Young were commissioned in 2011 to produce a public art work at the corner of Weston Road and Dennis Avenue, due to be completed this summer. The art work will resemble an illuminated grove of street lights that evokes the area's industrial heritage and natural environments, and it will also function as a notable gateway to the Weston-Mt. Dennis community. The artists name their work “Nyctophilia,” which means to have a love of the night. They explained their work as being: “A series of standard 32 foot hydro poles. Attached to each pole are several side-mounted light brackets, each of which supports an LED area light. These lights will be customized with varying combinations of blue, white and other LED lights and will be programmed to produce a modulated ‘cloud of light’. By using standard lighting elements and configuring them in a highly unconventional way, we seek to awaken the imagination of area residents and create a work with a striking physical presence that serves, at least partially, to transform the intersection.” This $250,000 public art project has been made possible through a combination of: a $193,000 Sector 37 private sector contribution (the result of a real estate development in Ward 11 York South-Weston); enhanced by additional funds from City of Toronto Cultural Services. Cultural Services is working with Transportation Services, Public Realm and other City partners to make sure the art component fulfills not only the community’s needs but also meets the requirements of the City’s codes and regulations. The lights will project light at a lower level then a regular street light and they have been fitted with shielding to prevent light glare occurring at nearby residences and businesses. The annual electrical cost of lighting this art work is estimated at being less than $1000.”

It may be art, but it is plug-ugly and conceived by 40-watt bulbs, in our opinion. What do you think? Let us know by posting a comment to our online column, or send an email to thefixer@thestar.ca .

What's broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/thefixer or call us at 416-869-4823. To read our blog, go to thestar.blogs.com/thefixer . Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.

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